Case Number 22846

PSYCHIC EXPERIMENT

The Charge

If it weren't for the writing, the directing, the editing and the acting,
this would've been a really fine film.

Opening Statement

Psychic Experiment uses a cast of B horror movie stars that include
Reggie Bannister (Phantasm), Debbie Rochon (Tromeo and Juliet),
and Kathy Lamkin (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre). With these veterans on
board, this movie had the potential to be a B movie classic; instead Psychic
Experiment didn't quite know what it wanted to be, so the film had little
cohesiveness which made it difficult to follow and even more impossible to
enjoy.

Facts of the Case

A small community is hit with a rash of unexplained disappearances that some
suspect a company called "The Facility" is responsible for. As a group
of bloggers try to find out the goings on at this mysterious company, local boy
Cole Gray (Denton Blane Everett, Rockabillly Baby) returns to his
hometown after "The Facility" offers him a job. With the help of an
unlikely ally Joseph Webber, played by Bannister, the bloggers get close to
learning the truth behind the strange occurrences in town and Cole begins to
understand the real reason why he was recruited by "The Facility."

The Evidence

Psychic Experiment has an identity crisis; it is described as a
horror/sci-fi film but really it's neither. Writer/director Mel House's script
is more like a drama with a pinch of sci-fi thrown in to try and make things
interesting. At its best it is the story of a child molester, Joseph Webber, who
was experimented on by the mysterious "Facility" and the prodigal son
Cole who returns to the place where he was molested as a child. But you have to
dig deep to understand exactly what is going on, because of the muddled nature
of the script we wind up with a smorgasbord of awfulness that the actors can
never overcome.

The best performance is given by Katie Featherston (Paranormal
Activity) who plays Cole's love interest, Elspeth. She's no Helen Mirren but
compared to the rest of the cast Featherston is brilliant. Unfortunately for the
film makers, she's only onscreen for a few short moments at the beginning and
end of the movie, which coincidentally are the best parts. There's a sense of
suspense at the opening of Psychic Experiment that gave me hope this
might be a low budget gem. With Cole heading back home to the place he suffered
immense pain and the visible strain in his relationship with Elspeth, there was
so much potential to develop those characters. But none of it is ever fleshed
out and Elspeth is abruptly dropped for most of the film, until she suddenly
returns at the very end. In fact, the way in which her parts sandwich the rest
of the movie makes me wonder if her character was an afterthought, which could
be the reason her scenes feel so disconnected with the rest of the movie.

There's a storyline featuring inept bloggers trying to uncover a huge story,
and another one about the head of "The Facility" who is enacting
revenge for the death of her brother, but really none of it makes much sense. In
fact, if you only managed to watch the first ten minutes of the movie then
slipped into a state of deep sleep and woke up during the last five minutes, you
would have seen all you need to, because those few moments are the most coherent
of the entire film. Psychic Experiment is a low budget film that looks
every bit like a low budget film.

Extras include the usual making of featurette, some commentary by the
director and part of the cast, as well as deleted scenes and a few scenes with
optional commentary. It was filmed in 1.78:1 widescreen with the audio in Dolby
Digital 5.1. The film appears to have been shot using video tape, giving it the
look and feel of a daytime soap opera.

Closing Statement

Let's face it, Psychic Experiment was never going to be a great movie,
but it had all the elements to be a fun and cheesy guilty pleasure. Instead it
took itself way too seriously and sucked out any amount of enjoyment that one
might've gotten from it. The result is an experience that sits upon the ash heap
of mediocrity with thousands of other forgettable films.